Catalino Pineda, 41, was arrested Wednesday, Officer Kate Lopez told CNN. Witnesses told police they saw him lighting a fire on a hillside in the West Hills area of San Fernando -- northwest of Los Angeles -- then walking away, Lopez said.Pineda was already on probation for "making excessive false emergency reports" to police at the time of the arrest, Lopez said...authorities want to find out if he had any role in the other wildfires.
In San Bernardino County, John Alfred Rund, 48, was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with setting a small fire along a rural roadside near Victorville.
The county's district attorney's office on Thursday also filed arson charges against Anthony Riperti, 47, of Redlands.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department also arrested an adult and a juvenile accused by an anonymous tipster of starting a fire in Vista in the northern part of the county. In a written statement, the sheriff's department identified the adult as Gorgonio Nava.
This afternoon the Border Patrol stopped a man walking in the Jamul Area carrying a backpack. Upon further investigation they found the man to be in possession of a woman’s' purse which was filled with costume jewelry. The man was identified through fingerprints as Pedro Cervantes, a Mexican citizen. It was also discovered that Cervantes had a felony warrant out of Riverside county. [pdf file] Cervantes was arrested for the felony narcotics warrant and looting. Cervantes is currently being held in the San Diego County Central Jail.
Other arrests for looting:
On October 24, 2007, at 5:04 p.m., Campo deputies arrested two subjects for looting on the U.S. side of Tecate. The suspects were observed leaving a burned out residence carrying a large bag. Deputy Nunez tracked the suspects towards the Mexican border [pdf file] and captured both suspects with help from Border Patrol agents. All property taken was recovered and the suspects were booked into the San Diego County jail on looting charges.
Hmmmm.... [comment removed]! :)